First Reading: Acts 2:14a, 36-41
14aPeter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them:
36“Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 37Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
Psalm 116:1-14
1I love the Lord, because he has heard the voice of my supplication, because he has inclined his ear to me whenever I called upon him. 2The cords of death entangled me; the grip of the grave took hold of me; I came to grief and sorrow. 3Then I called upon the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray you, save my life.” 4Gracious is the Lord and righteous; our God is full of compassion. 5The Lord watches over the innocent; I was brought very low, and he helped me. 6Turn again to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has treated you well. 7For you have rescued my life from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling. 8I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living. 9I believed, even when I said, “I have been brought very low.” In my distress I said, “No one can be trusted.” 10How shall I repay the Lord for all the good things he has done for me? 11I will lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. 12I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. 13Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his servants. 14O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant and the child of your handmaid; you have freed me from my bonds.
Second Reading: 1 Peter 1:17-25
17If you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 22Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
Gospel: Luke 24:13-35
13That very day two of {Jesus’ followers} were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. 28So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
The Road to Emmaus
A man and his young grandson were out walking on the beach one afternoon. In the distance they saw a crowd that had gathered around a man who had been overcome by the heat of the sun and had suffered a sunstroke. Confused, the young boy questioned his grandfather about the man, so the grandfather tried to explain the situation to the boy. After several attempts, the little fellow looked up at his grandfather and said, “Grandpa, I hope you never suffer from a sunset.” Today we’ve once again gathered to celebrate the good news that even though we have, and will face, sunsets in our lives, the resurrection of our Lord promises that there is always a sunrise.
When you stop and think about it, there’s a simple beauty in this Easter story we read from St. Luke’s gospel about Jesus and two of His followers on the road to Emmaus. It’s a story we’ve heard, and read, many times and it shows us the great contrasts which were so much a part of that resurrection experience. Those followers of Jesus, and all who loved Him, faced a sunset on that fateful Friday. When the sky darkened at midday, and Jesus breathed His last, it seemed that the sun also went down on all their hopes and dreams. The One in whom they had place all their expectations, aspirations, faith, and future on, had been brutally treated, mercilessly killed, and buried. And now they were a group of confused, frightened, and in many ways, lost people. It seemed that the sun had now set on their lives.
From the gospel accounts, we read how Jesus had captured their imaginations, but the Roman soldiers captured Him. Jesus gained their love and devotion, but the forces of hatred divided them. Jesus inspired the best in them, but now they felt that they had experienced the worst. Jesus had apparently claimed a victory, but now they believed that they had witnessed His utter defeat. Jesus had preached and taught them about the kingdom of God, but the power of Rome was standing over Him. Jesus had promised a better life, but He was subjected to a bitter death.
With this Road to Emmaus story in mind, let me ask you this, have you ever experienced anything like this in your own life? Has there been, or have there been, times when you felt like you had lost your way? Has there been a time in your life that was filled with nothing but sunsets, when all you ever wanted to experience was the faint glow of sunrise? I’m sure each of us has faced these types of disappointments when all we seem to see is darkness and despair. If so, then Easter speaks to you.
Easter is a time of renewal of our hopes and dreams. It’s the reassurance that God’s promises are sure, and that He has been and always will be in control. Easter is a reminder that sin, satan, and death have been defeated. And that this life is not the end; we have the promise of eternal life in God’s presence. In Jesus’ resurrection, we are assured that He is the light that darkness could not overcome. In Christ, we are assured that no matter how dark the sunset might seem, there will be a sunrise. This is the importance of Easter and the resurrection.
It happened that on that first Easter day, two loyal followers of Jesus were traveling the road to Emmaus, a little village a full day’s journey from Jerusalem. It’s quite probable that these two travelers felt they were heading home in defeat, quite possibly feeling the effects of shame and disappointment. As they traveled, they realized that evening was near and the sinking sun reminded them of the sinking feeling they had on the inside. As they walked along, discussing the events of the past few days, a stranger joined them. Wanting to take part in their conversation, this stranger asked what they had been discussing. Shocked at the person’s question, they stopped in their tracks, looked at each other and then asked Him if he was the only person who didn’t know what had been going on for the past few days.
This stranger, wanting to carry the conversation further, inquires about the things they were talking about. Surprised, they replied that they were talking about Jesus of Nazareth, a mighty prophet of God and how He had been put to death. Then they said, “But we had hoped he was the one to redeem Israel.” “… we had hoped …” There’s a note of sadness and tragedy in those words. But we know that it was out of that great tragedy that God brought history’s greatest triumph. Thankfully, the two disciples didn’t dismiss the stranger or exclude Him further from their conversation.
Thankfully, those two followers went on to relate to the stranger of how they had heard some of the women had found the empty tomb, and others of their group had gone to the tomb, but didn’t see Him. To this the stranger says, “O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (vs. 25).
This is the glory of Easter, the glory of the New Testament, the glory of our Christian faith, the glory of the Christian church. This is why we’ve gathered here on this Easter Sunday to celebrate the good news of the resurrection, because God stepped into history and said to the forces of evil, “it is finished”. You can have no more of my son. I will have the last word in this event. Sin, death, and you satan, have now been defeated. The victory is won, and the glory is mine!
So, as we continue to celebrate the victories won in Jesus’ death and resurrection, and think about the risen Christ on the road to Emmaus, we can allow our hearts and minds to be filled with joy. We can fill our hearts and minds with the Easter promises because the resurrection is a transformation which takes place in our living. We celebrate because the resurrection changes everything.
The stranger that day walked with them to the village where they were going. And as they walked, He told them of how the scriptures had been fulfilled, of God’s promises kept, and they wanted to hear more. So they invited Him to come and stay with them. And He accepted. This road to Emmaus story also reminds us that anytime we invite Jesus to come and stay, He gladly accepts our invitation.
As they sat down at the table for a meal, He blessed the bread and broke it. Then He gave it to them. In this act of sharing, they felt something strangely familiar about it. It was as if they had experienced it before. Then St. Luke writes, “Their eyes were opened and they recognized him” (vs.31). Suddenly everything was different. The entire situation was transformed. Nothing would ever be the same again. The resurrection has changed everything. In Jesus’ death and resurrection, nothing is the same.
Think about it. Instead of putting Jesus up on a throne, they put Him down in a garden tomb. Those disciples had followed Jesus from up in Galilee all the way down to Jerusalem – down the streets and up to the temple – down in the garden and up to the cross – from upper room to garden tomb. And that was the end of that, or so they thought. A Sunday school class teacher was trying to help the children understand the meaning of Holy Week. When she was explaining Good Friday she said, “Now this Friday is called what? Good – Good what?” And one little boy replied, “Goodbye.”
Pontius Pilate, the High Priest, and all the members of the Sanhedrin poked each other in the ribs and said, “Goodbye. Goodbye Jesus!” And all the people who loved Him hung their heads and said, “Goodbye Jesus.” But their last goodbye was a new hello for Jesus as He went from the garden tomb around by Emmaus and back to the upper room. After the resurrection, nothing has ever been the same. From that moment on, all those who followed Jesus lived in the power of His resurrection. A transformation took place in their lives. And it continues to take place in our lives.
Our living is different because we’re no longer the same. We’re no longer living under the power of sin, death, and darkness. We live now in the light of God’s love, in the dawn of a new day. We live because the meaning of our lives has been changed, our lives have been transformed. In World War II a soldier was mortally wounded while fighting in Germany. He knew that the war was coming to an end, though he would not live to see the final victory. He said to a friend, “Would you give my wife a message? Would you tell her I had the joy of knowing that we have won the victory?”
Because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the meaning of our whole lives has been transformed. Regardless of what might happen to us in this life, we have the joy of knowing the victory has been won. And there’s more. The resurrection is a conviction which grips our thinking. It’s more than something we merely believe. It’s a conviction that takes hold of us; it impacts our whole life. After the risen Christ revealed Himself to those two followers He vanished from their sight. And they said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us when he talked with us on the road, when he opened to us the Scriptures?” (vs. 32). They knew they had been in the presence of the risen Christ.
Their thinking and their lives were gripped by that conviction. And that’s what we need today – some great convictions to live by. Like all times, today we don’t need any more people who merely have opinions. What we need today are people who have great convictions. In a church’s Easter pageant, there was a scene where a large cardboard box was used for the tomb. There was a boy inside the box playing the part of the angel. At one point he was to repeat the message of the angel, “He is not here. He has risen. Come see the place where he lay” (Matthew 28:6). But he forgot his line. Nevertheless, with all the earnestness he could muster, he yelled out “He ain’t here. He’s done gone!” What an amazingly astute young man: “He ain’t here. He’s done gone!” Not sure I could have rephrased it better myself!
Once during a time when Martin Luther was greatly troubled, some of his friends saw him writing with his finger in the dust on a table, “He lives. He lives.” When our thinking is gripped by that conviction, then we can face anything that comes along. When our hearts burn within us with that conviction, then we know we can handle all of life. But there’s more. The Resurrection is an event which inspires us to share. It’s more than a change in us, it’s more than just a conviction, it’s something we also live. It’s a witness we share.
St. Luke tells us, “that same hour” (vs.33) those two followers left Emmaus and went back to Jerusalem. They went to the upper room and found the disciples. They shared what they had experienced that day. Seeing and talking with the risen Lord was something they couldn’t contain within themselves. The early church was the result of the resurrection. Those disciples weren’t looking for some new organization to join – some club to which they could belong. The church is the result of their witness. The resurrection was a story they had to tell – a conviction they had to announce – a witness they had to share.
Our gathering here today is a witness to the power of the resurrection. Our Christian living is a witness to the power of the resurrection. Our giving of our lives to Christ is a witness to the power of the resurrection. Our commitment to a servant church is a witness to the power of resurrection. Our love expressed in sacrificial ways is a witness to the power of resurrection. Our words of comfort and hope are a witness to the power of the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus Christ has made Christians out of us, and our lives are a witness to the power of it. And this power continues to sustain the whole of our lives. It gives us hope for today and all the tomorrows which await us.
On the final night of his life when the Washington preacher Peter Marshall lay dying, he said to his wife as she left his room, “I’ll see you in the morning.” It sounds a lot like Jesus when He promised, “I am with you always.” Jesus stands among us even now and promises to meet us on the roads we travel – on the highways and byways – when the sun is shining brightly – when the skies are cloudy – in the midst of all our sunsets He promises us a sunrise – “I’ll see you in the morning.” That is the glory of our faith. That is the hope we have because of the Resurrection of Jesus.
Amen